Tag Archives: green

Hello, Madison!

March 5, 2018 By in Education, environmentalism, geography, graduate school Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 20 Comments

Map of Wisconsin from Google Earth.

The pain of waiting for an answer is over: I’ve been accepted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study Land Resources. The bustling capital city is located between two frequently-kayaked and very fishable lakes, Monona and Mendota. The city is sustainable in that biking and walking are the main methods of transportation, and places to eat, live, study, and be entertained are all very close to each other. A highly centralized city like Madison is a great environment for a grad student without a car, such as myself. The average apartment here rents for around $800/month but according to students, the price of living is increasing as people are discovering this secret city. Here are some pictures from the plane, a map of Wisconsin, and the view of the “West Side” from the top of the Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (AOS) building at the University. Continue reading →

Blowing Bubbles

November 20, 2017 By in Education, Efficient, environmental impact, environmentalism, History, industry, Sonography, Treatment Plants, Water Purification Tags: , , , , , 3 Comments

Did you know that bubbles can clean water? Specifically, dissolved air flotation (DAF) and ultrasound are two methods of making water safer with bubbles. DAF can be used to replace sedimentation in municipal drinking water treatment. Large particles are typically settled out using gravity, but with DAF, bubbles are produced by an oxygen tank pumping air into the bottom of a basin and small particles attach to the sides of the bubbles. The bubbles rise to the top of the basin and the particles are swept off the surface of the water by a skimmer.

bxfujjupsvtpiypumtf0

Dolfi ultrasonic device, photo from Indiegogo.

Continue reading →

Greenwashing

October 4, 2017 By in Education, environmental impact, industry, life cycle analysis, recycling Tags: , , , , , , 1 Comment

All Natural. Organic. Eco-friendly. Green. Farm Fresh. These are the sexy buzzwords that draw us in to products that unscrupulously exploit our desire to go green. The FDA doesn’t regulate these terms, and they are often nothing more than just words. “Green” products contain the color green on the packaging. “Farm fresh” covers essentially any meat or dairy product. “Natural” is more of a sentiment than a descriptor. And just to give you a sense of the word “organic”, Dichloromethane is an organic compound and is toxic. I definitely wouldn’t want that in my salad. So then, how should caring consumers discern the environmentally-sound eggs from the chemical-ridden cosmetics?

greenwashing-cartoon1

Comic from SlideShare.

Continue reading →

Echoing Green

June 12, 2017 By in Education, environmental impact, environmentalism, industry, life cycle analysis, recycling, solar Tags: , , , , , , , , , 4 Comments
abu-musuuza-300x300

The founder of Village Energy Limited, photo from Ashoka Visionary Program.

Echoing Green is a non-profit organization that provides support to entrepreneurs with solutions to social issues worldwide. Once an entrepreneur presents their idea, they are granted 90 thousand dollars to start their business. Financial advisers and other professionals support each business as they take off with their innovations. I chose to cover three such innovations and their creators on the blog today because I find non-profits essential to humanity. Sometimes it gets discouraging to think about how much financial support is needed to start a business. With Echoing Green, those issues are taken care of and inventors are allowed to do what they do best. They are free to create.

Continue reading →